Talk:Braille music

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Just wanted to let folks know in case anyone's interested; I've started a blind musicians page which discusses, among other things, Braille music and resources available for blind musicians. If someone with more knowledge than me wanted to check my discussion out and make some corrections, I'd appreciate it. Thanks! NoahB 18:12, 23 Jun 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Reading and playing

How does one read Braille music using one hand, while playing an instrument that requires the use of two hands (which most of them do)? Are they to read the music, memorize it, then play? It would be the equivalent of trying to translate Braille into sign language at the same time. --Birdhombre 19:26, 26 July 2005 (UTC)

Yes, you read one hand at a time and generally memorize it quickly--either by playing & learning one hand at a time until each hand is learned that way, then putting them together, or just by reading & mentally learning each part them putting the two hands together mentally.

People who use Braille music a lot tend to be quick memorizers--not necessarily that they are born that way, but that very nature of reading then playing Braille music requires a lot of quick learning of small segments (a few measures or a phrase) and when you do that routinely you learn to just memorize those small bits very readily. Practice makes perfect, so to speak! Bhugh 04:05, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] regarding this sentence

"Visually impaired musicians who become highly proficient performers without ever learning to read music have the same difficulties and disadvantages as sighted musicians in the same situation. In either case, the illiterate musician is completely dependent upon others for learning new music or new parts. And it is very difficult for the advanced musician to have the patience to spend months or years re-visiting the rudiments of music in order to learn to read and write what can already be performed with ease."

That happens when you haven't quite developped your auditory skills. Besides, braille music, especially that designed for keyboard instruments is not always the easiest method for learning songs. For instance, i have been playing piano for several years and I often find it much more time consumming to read music than to get music by ear alone. You can also experiment with most theories that way. In any case, just because one does not read music is not a reason for being "illiterate." The idea that one is musically illiterate doesn't stem from the fact one indeed does not read music but to be illiterate can be put rather more as being unable to hear something then transcribe it or process it in order for it to become playable. Ear training is a valuable resource for visually impaired musicians. Plus, there are no sources on this article either. Braille music also has a disadvantage and it is that it changes to fit each notation. There is braille music for different instruments: Organ/keyboard, wind, vocal. This can be found in the braille music code 1997 at www.brl.org/music/index.html

72.188.180.69 18:28, 10 November 2007 (UTC)